Ubiquiti

Ubiquiti UniFi USG Password Recovery

Step-by-step password recovery for the Ubiquiti UniFi USG (UniFi USG/UDM (UniFi OS)). Console access required.

Overview

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for resetting lost or forgotten administrative passwords on enterprise networking hardware. Follow the procedure below carefully to regain access while preserving your device configuration.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding with password recovery, ensure you have a console cable, terminal emulation software configured to 9600 baud, and physical access to the device.

Step 1: Establish Console Connection

Connect your terminal cable to the console port of the device and open your serial terminal session.

Step 2: Interrupt the Boot Sequence

Power cycle the hardware and issue a Break key sequence during initial system startup to enter ROMMON mode.

Step 3: Reset Password & Configuration

Bypass startup configuration loading, boot into system software, set your new credentials, and save changes back to non-volatile memory.

Overview

This procedure recovers administrator access to the Ubiquiti UniFi USG (Ubiquiti UniFi device) when the device password is lost or the device is offline. UniFi devices are managed by the UniFi Network controller/console — the device itself has no local admin password to recover; recovery is done via a factory reset and re-adoption.

Prerequisites

Physical access to the device to press the reset button. The UniFi Network application/console (or cloud) to re-adopt the device. The device serial number.

Recovery Procedure — Factory Reset + Re-adoption

Locate the reset button: on UniFi switches (USW, US-8/16/24/48) it is a small pinhole or recessed button on the front panel; on UniFi gateways (UDM, UDM-Pro, USG, UDR) it is on the front or bottom.
With the device powered, press and hold the reset button for 10 seconds (on UniFi switches, hold until the LED flashes; on UDM/UDM-Pro, hold until the system LED changes pattern).
Release the button. The device reboots and resets to factory state.
Wait for the device to come back online (LED shows steady white/blue when ready to adopt on most models).
In the UniFi Network application (Console → UniFi Devices), the device appears in the Adopt state. Click Adopt.
Enter the device's SSH/management password when prompted (the adoption password is the device's local account password). If you don't know it, reset it in the device settings after adoption.
Once adopted, the device pulls its configuration from the UniFi controller (settings are cloud/console-managed).

Important Notes

UniFi device passwords are not stored on the device in a recoverable way — a factory reset is the only device-level recovery. All configuration is controller-managed and reapplied on adoption.
For UDM/UDM-Pro (which run their own controller), a factory reset wipes the console configuration — back up the UniFi Network config first (Settings → System → Backups → Download Backup) and restore after adoption.
If the device is managed by a UniFi host (Cloud Key, UDM, self-hosted controller), adopt it into the SAME site to restore its settings.
For EdgeRouter/EdgeSwitch (EdgeOS) devices, the recovery is different — see the EdgeOS guide.
The default UniFi SSH username is ubnt (older) or root/admin depending on firmware — adoption handles credentials automatically.

Protecting Access

Enable UniFi cloud access or maintain a local UniFi controller backup. Record device serial numbers and keep the controller account with 2FA. Regular config backups (Settings → System → Backups) make recovery trivial.